


now, as they say, look alive

by Tator



Series: davenzi drabbles [15]
Category: Druck | SKAM (Germany)
Genre: Alternate Universe, First Meetings, Ghost!Matteo, M/M, more like ghost!matteo???
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-09-09
Updated: 2019-09-09
Packaged: 2020-10-13 13:23:58
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 1,487
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/20583215
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Tator/pseuds/Tator
Summary: “I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” someone said behind him, and David jumped, nearly dropping the box. He turned and saw a boy on the other end of the room, holding a feather duster in one hand and wearing a pink polka dot apron. It was dark at the end of the room, but he could tell the boy was serious, as serious as one could be with a hand on the hip, holding cleaning supplies, and looking like a 50s American housewife.“Uh, why is that?” David asks slowly.The boy shrugs. “It’s cursed,” he says easily and turns to push something further on the shelf next to him.





	1. I’m telling you. I’m haunted.

**Author's Note:**

> For the dialogue prompt: "I’m telling you. I’m haunted." from [chaotic-tender](https://chaotic-tender.tumblr.com/)
> 
> You can find the original post [here](https://bagels-and-seagulls.tumblr.com/post/187190723953/9-or-93-for-the-prompt-thing-i-adooore-your) :)
> 
> title is from the haunted mansion ride at disney world

David looks at the shop in front of him, then back at his phone. He squints at the address again, looking between his gps and the slightly run down and overfilled antique shop that he was pretty sure looked a little different when Amira showed him the picture earlier. It couldn’t hurt to just look around, he thought, even if it wasn’t the right place. 

A little bell jingled as he pushed the door open, and he stood in the doorway, looking at the cluttered mess of objects tacked on top of each other and shoved in every single nook the room. It smelled a little musty, like there was too much dust and dirt in the air, but David couldn’t see any grime anywhere.

“Hello?” He called out as he wondered further into the shop. There was a bookcase against one wall, with books that looked older than Berlin in mix-matched languages, some looking better than others with the corners of the covers torn off and gnawed on. He saw a clock at the top that had curly-q hands and a flowery face. It ticked loudly, with an enthusiasm that David hasn’t seen in clocks, but was about seven hours off. A for effort, he thought, and snapped a picture just because. 

He walked down the aisle and poked at knick knacks and teacups and little figurines that all had a little piece missing out of them, but still plenty of character. There was a music box on the shelf that was a faded blue and had a castle painted on the top that was chipping and dirty. He went to open the top, wondering what would start playing, if it would at all. 

“I wouldn’t do that if I were you,” someone said behind him, and David jumped, nearly dropping the box. 

He turned and saw a boy on the other end of the room in a red t-shirt and jeans, with his hair pushed back out of his face, holding a feather duster in one hand and wearing a pink polka dot apron. It was dark at the end of the room, but he could tell the boy was serious, as serious as one could be with a hand on the hip, holding cleaning supplies, and looking like a 50s American housewife. 

“Uh, why is that?” David asks slowly. 

The boy shrugs. “It’s cursed,” he says easily and turns to push something further on the shelf next to him. 

“O-_kay_,” David responds, even slower, and carefully puts the music box back where he found it. “Are you Matt?” He asks, looking back to the boy who was busy rearranging a set of plates on a display. 

“Matt?” He repeats, not looking up. “No, no Matt here. Sorry.” 

“Uh, Amira sent me,” David replied, shuffling on his feet, side-eyeing the music box out the corner of his eye

“Oh, Amira. Why didn’t you say,” the boy responds and looks over. He walks towards David, and for some reason, he can’t help but think this boy has a cute nose. A cute nose and nice eyes. And wow, that wasn’t the point right now, David. Get it together. “Yeah, she mentioned someone coming by. I’m Matteo.” 

“_Matteo_, right, right, sorry.” 

Matteo shrugs and runs his fingers on the shelf near David’s head before looking at his hand and tsking to himself. He starts running the duster over the shelf, not kicking up any dust, and David wonders if that’s how he spent all his day, cleaning already perfectly clean things. 

“So, uh, she mentioned you might be able to help me with like, uh, a set. I’m making a short film. For class?” David says like it’s a question when it’s really not. But a piece of hair just fell in front of Matteo’s forehead, and it’s making it hard for David to process everything right now. 

“Yeah, that’s chill,” Matteo says, looking over at him, and David thinks his brain started to reboot, with the way that Matteo fixes him with a small smile. “You can come by anytime you want. We aren’t too busy right now. Just don’t break anything.” Matteo points up to a paper sign posted near the cash register that said _Break it You Buy it_ in something that looks suspiciously like comic sans with a little typed out smiley face. 

“Oh, okay, cool. Do you mind if I?” He holds up his phone. 

“Sure, sure. I’ll just be in the back if you need anything. 

“You don’t have to-”

“No, trust me. I’m telling you. I’m haunted. Technology breaks around me,” he says over his back with a wave of his duster. David watched him go. He didn’t see him for the rest of the day and left a note on the counter saying he would be back tomorrow. 

David returns about an hour before the shop is supposed to close with his camera over his neck. The sun is already setting low behind David’s back and casting a pink reflection over all the windows. “Hello?” He calls out. “Matteo?”

Matteo comes out a door leading somewhere David couldn’t see in the same shirt from yesterday but with a blue striped apron on and a broom in his hand. “David, hey.” He walks over to the shelf closest to David and turns some of the vases around. 

“Hey,” David responds dumbly. Matteo had a headband keeping his hair out of his eyes, and David thinks he might be staring. No, he’s definitely staring because Matteo keeps looking at him just standing in the doorway, and David thinks he might have been saying something. But he couldn’t really tell from the way blood was rushing from his ears to his cheeks. 

“Um,” he starts and walks in further, closer to where Matteo was standing and holding onto a magazine that looks like it’s from 1934. “I came to do some shots around the shop. Just like test ones if that’s cool?” 

“I was just about to close actually,” he says. He puts the magazine down near some others and turns towards David. 

“Oh, sorry, I must have messed up the times,” David apologizes and looks over at the hours listed on the door. 

“You probably didn’t. Those hours don’t really mean anything. I close up at dark,” Matteo says and takes the headband off and shakes his hair out. It flops in his face, and David thinks he was staring again, like he was in some teen romcom. The lull in the conversation must make Matteo want to say something because he adds, “Yeah, gives the ghosts time to chill out.” 

And David stops because for a second he has no idea if Matteo is being serious or just pulling his leg, and he wanted to laugh because really? Of all the things to say? But the way that he’s blinking at him, still holding onto the broom makes him think that he’s not. 

“Ghosts don’t exist?” David says after a second because Matteo is still looking at him, and it’s making David feel a little nervous. 

Matteo scoffs. “That’s just ghost erasure. Ghosts are people too, you know.” 

David thinks he must be in a dream. “Um, no, they’re not? I think that’s kind of the point of ghosts?” 

“You try telling that to Mrs. Schafer,” Matteo says with one eye-brow raised, like a dare. And David is just so confused, he honestly doesn’t know where to start. 

“Um-” 

“I’m kidding,” Matteo says and grins at him, and David feels a little bit like a fool, hanging off of every word this boy was saying. “About the Mrs. Schafer thing. She lives above the shop next door. She comes in once a week and buys a new book.”

“That’s, uh, nice.”

“Did you want to come back tomorrow?” Matteo asked and took his apron off. “I think Amira was going to stop by after her classes with Sam. Do you know Sam?” 

David nodded. “Yeah, she does costumes for some of my stuff.” 

“That’s cool,” Matteo hummed and turned out all the lights. “I’ll see you tomorrow then?” David nodded slowly and said something like goodbye before leaving. Matteo waved and smiled at him through the window as he locked the door. David went to bed that night thinking about hauntings and ghosts and thinking about asking Amira how she knows the strangest boy he’s ever met.


	2. da.queen has entered the chat

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> **Da.Vid:**   
_Hey, Amira. I have a question…_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> original post is [here](https://bagels-and-seagulls.tumblr.com/post/187243218663/can-u-please-write-a-sequel-to-the-ghost-matteo) :)

**Da.Vid:**  
_Hey, Amira. I have a question…_

**Da Queen:**  
_What is it?_

**Da.Vid:**  
_How long have you known Matteo?_

**Da Queen: **  
_A couple of years  
Maybe_

**Da.Vid: **  
_How did you guys meet? _

**Da Queen:**  
_I met him at the shop  
They sell books in Arabic _

**Da.Vid: **  
_So you guys don’t hang out?_

**Da Queen:**  
_I visit him at the shop_  
_I bring him dinner or something sometimes  
He works all the time. Has no time to really leave._


End file.
